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will be in favor of peoples of these countries. None of the countri-
es, including Armenia has the right to hope that Azerbaij an will ac-
cept the occupation of the one fi ft h of its territory and displacement 
of more than a million civilians. 
The Tsarist Russia pursued a policy to create a buff er zone in the 
frontal regions, where Christianity was dominant, with the Ott o-
man empire, with which it was in the state of war for ages, and mo-
reover it aimed to increase the number of Armenian population in 
the Western Caucasus. Thus, Armenians were moved to these re-
gions and the demographic balance was shift ed to their favor. The 
current Nagorno-Karabakh problem emerged as the consequence 
of this policy. 
This publication particularly aims to disclose the massacre com-
mitt ed by Armenians towards Azerbaij ani Turks in March-April of 
1918 and eventually disseminate detailed information on this signi-
fi cant historical event.
Prof. Dr. Hakki Keskin
MP of German Parliament and member of the Parliamentary 
Assembly of the Council of Europe (2005-2009) 

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The international community is unaware of sett lement of Ar-
menians in the north of Azerbaij an in accordance with the Tsar-
ist Russia’s colonial policy in the territory of Azerbaij an and of 
conduct of genocide against the local populationby their hand in 
1905-1906,  1918-1920,  1948-1953,  and in 1988-1994. The research 
on crimes of Armenian criminals against Azerbaij anis  indicates 
that one of the most terrible crimes was committ ed in March-
April, 1918 in Baku,  Guba,  Shamakhi,  Ismayilli,  Goychay,  Ha-
jigabul,  Kurdamir,  Salyan,  Lankaran, Zangezur,  Nakhiche-
van,  Karabakh,  Agstafa, and so forth. These planned crimes were 
carried out by military forces, which came back from the Russian-
Turkish front in January, 1918 and were composed ofa number of 
Armenians. The prime target of this genocide, conducted against 
the local Muslims under the leadership of Shaumyan, was to take 
control over Azerbaij ani oil and natural resources and to annex it 
to the Soviet Russia by changing its national and religious compo-
sition in Baku and in adjacent regions. During the crimes commit-
ted in 1918, specifi cally in April 1918, 94.000 ton oil was carried, 
while in May it constituted 182.000 ton, in June 466.000, in July 
492.000 accordingly. (1) 
To investigate the crimes committ ed towards the Muslim popu-
lation, the Council of Ministers of Azerbaij an Democratic Republic 
set up Emergency Investigation Commission in June 15, 1918 with 
the representation of members of Gandja District Court Shah-
maliyev Ismail bey, Andrei Fomich Novatsky, and prosecutors 
Nasraddinbey Safi kurdsky, Nikolay Mikhaylovich Mikhaylov, V. 
Gudvillo and Mirza Javad Akhundzada under the leadership of 
Alakbarbey Khasmammadov. 
The assembled documents of the Commission proved that Ar-
Introduction

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menians carried out planned genocide towards Azerbaij ani popu-
lation. 
The II article of the Convention on Prevention of and Punish-
ment for the Genocide adopted with the resolution 260 (III) dated 
December 9, 1948 of the U.N. General Assembly states:
“genocide” (massacre-author) is meant where actions are taken 
towards partial or entire elimination of national, ethnic, racial or 
religious group: 
a) 
Killing of any member of the group
b) 
Posing severe damage to health or mental damage to a 
member of the group
c) 
Intentionally creating a condition for a member of the group 
whose physical existence is partially or completely under threat 
d) 
Taking any measure for the group that intends prevention 
of birth
e) 
Handing over a child from one group to another by force 
Although the genocide committ ed towards Azerbaij anis by Ar-
menians in 1918 was confi rmed by the Emergency Investigation 
Commission, regretfully punishment of criminals was not real-
ized. Regretfully, the amnesty in February 1920 and the occupa-
tion of Azerbaij an by the Soviet Russia in April 27, 1920 hampered 
punishment of the criminals.
Aft er the occupation, instead of the investigation of the issue, 
“26 Baku Commissars” was presented to Azerbaij ani people as a 
false historical legend with an instruction of Moscow. (2) During 
the Soviet period the main organizers of crimes committ ed against 
Azerbaij anis were presented as national heroes, and monuments 
were erected to honor them. (3) Moreover, extensive campaign 
was carried out to remove Azerbaij ani and Turkishsoldiers, who 
sacrifi ced themselves to save local residents from Armenian and 
Bolshevik forces, from the memory, and even those who made 

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an att empt to restore their graves were strictly punished. For in-
stance, the att itude to the grave of the lonely Turkish offi
  cer, may-
or Izzet Afandy, who sacrifi ced himself in the fi ght in July 18, 1918 
in the so-called Ajidere between Shamakhi and Mereze, proves it. 
Head of the Samakhi district, who laid his gravestone, was killed 
in 1928, and the grave was entirely destroyed. Later Shamakhi 
residents Mahammad, and aft erwards, Babakhan Rizakhanov re-
stored the grave. For this reason, Babakhan Rizakhanov was ar-
rested in 1964. Finally, the grave was repaired in 1993, and in May 
10, 2000 the monument was erected in the honor of 1130 Turkish 
soldiers who sacrifi ced themselves in the 1918 Caucasus move-
ment. National poets Bakhtiyar Vahabzade and Gabil dedicated 
their poems “Lonely Grave” and “Turkish Grave” to honor Turk-
ish soldier. (4) 
Azerbaij an Republic created a favorable condition to investi-
gate the case aft er the restoration of independence in October 18, 
1991. The national leader Heydar Aliyev’s decree ”on Genocide of 
Azerbaij anis“ (March 26, 1998) plays a crucial role in this regard. 
It says “the genocide of Azerbaij anis was carried out with special 
brutality in Baki, Shamakhi, Guba, Karabakh, Zengezur, Nakiche-
van, Lenkeran and in other regions of Azerbaij an. Civilians were 
massively killed, villages were burnt, national and cultural monu-
ments were utt erly destroyed… only to one of them, to March 1918 
genocide, was there an att empt to politically assess. The Republic 
of Azerbaij an as a successor of Azerbaij an Democratic Republic 
regards the duty of political assessment of the genocide as the his-
torical judgment. (5) 
To proceed investigation on 1918 events, three volume materi-
als of Emergency Investigation Commission of General Prosecu-
tor of the Republic of Azerbaij an on criminal case, kept in National 
Archive of the Republic of Azerbaij an on genocide carried out to-

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